


The Bells of Christmas Morn

by onlybianca



Category: Original Work
Genre: Christmas, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:41:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28130331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlybianca/pseuds/onlybianca
Summary: "The bells were nothing but a child's hope, nothing more than a trick"Ever since she was a young girl, she had always heard the village bells. How could she not? It was a chime loud enough for everyone to hear. Loud enough to even echo towards the misty mountains in the North. But why? Why had her brother denied hearing it? The bells, although it rang only twice or thrice in a year, there was no denying they existed.





	The Bells of Christmas Morn

"Rev! Rev! Did you hear that Bells! I can hear bells!

The village bells? Ringing? Preposterous, Rev thought. The bells were nothing but a child's hope, nothing more than a trick.

"Quiet down Lia. Don't say such silly things", he replied in a calm yet cold tone. 

"But Rev! I really heard the sound of bells"

"Nonsense"

"No, listen Re—"

"There are no bells, alright Lia?! The bells are a trick to those who don’t know." Rev barked at his sister with a deep scowl on his face. He could see Lia trembling from his unexpected outburst. 

With a frustrated grunt and an exasperated sigh, Rev turned his back on his little sister and made his way inside their tiny hut. Lia sat there, alone in the haystacks as the sting of unshed tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She had not any clue what she said to anger her brother. 

Ever since she was a young girl, she had always heard the village bells. How could she not? It was a chime loud enough for everyone to hear. Loud enough to even echo towards the misty mountains in the North. But why? Why had her brother denied hearing it? The bells, although it rang only twice or thrice in a year, there was no denying they existed. That much she was certain. 

Lia sat up straight and wiped the few droplets that dampened her cheeks. She gathered her red locks in a bun, made a final wipe on her face using her sleeve to erase any traces of tears and finally, she stood. Gathering all the resolve an 11 year old could muster, she marched back towards their hut following her brother. Come morning, and she would seek for answers.

Rev watched as his little sister made her way to the corner of the hut and covered herself in the few blankets they owned. He eyed her every move, not letting the occasional sniff and sob escape his keen observation. About an hour or two later, Lia's breathing steadied, Rev then knew she was now sound asleep. 

"Bells, huh?", he smirked to himself. He knew it was unfair of him to yell at Lia like that. Not many seasons ago as a child, he too listened to the sound of the bells. Months and months he would wait for the bells to ring. Every chime of the bell, he would run, as fast as his legs could take him, to the front of the village where people gathered. He would squeeze his tiny body through the crowd in hopes of seeing what the bells indicated. But with every instance of the bells ringing, he was met with sheer disappointment and sorrow. 

As the sun rose to break the darkness of the still dawn, Lia awoke to an empty hut. Perhaps her brother had gone to fetch firewood for the cold Christmas season? No matter, Lia decided she would o go to the village and play before extracting answers from her cold yet loving 13 year old brother. As she roamed the village, she bumped into her friend Cole who seemed to be in such a hurry. 

“Sorry Lia! I didn’t mean to bump you”, Cole said in a series of gasping breaths as he hastily ran.  
“Hey wait! Where are you going? Don’t you wanna play!”

“Sorry again Lia! I can’t! I’m spending the day with my dad! He just got home!”

Cole’s father? Odd. Lia thought he didn’t have one. 

After spending the whole day in the village, Lia decided it was time to call it a day and head home. As she got to their hut, Rev was waiting for her near the haystacks where he built a little fire to keep himself warm. She sat down next to her brother, unsure of how to begin her interrogation.

“Lia, I’m sorry for what happened yesterday. It was uncalled for, I know”, Rev said in a low voice.

“It’s alright Rev. But will you please tell me about the bells?”

“Lia, we've talked about the bells. They’re a trick”

“No they’re not! I heard it, everyone heard it!”

“You’re too young Lia, too naive. You wouldn’t understand”, Rev snarled.

“Then tell me! Please!”

“That sound you're hearing? That's the sound of deceit resounding. Nothing but a fool's play!”

“You’re lyin-”

“I’m not! You..You just don’t know. The bells… they’re a bunch of lies”.

“Rev?”, Lia asked as she noticed the sadness in her brother’s voice.

“The village promised, Lia. They promised they’d ring the bells only when soldiers come home. 3 years I’ve listened to the bells…”, tears now streaming down Rev’s eyes, his voice breaking as he struggled to form the words. 

“Three years I’ve run to the village upon hearing the bells. I’ve seen soldiers come back. I’ve seen Mr.Darcy return to his family. I’ve seen Mr. Mills return, and everyone else…. So tell me Lia, if the bells aren’t a trick, then why hasn’t father come home yet?”

Lia stared at her brother in disbelief. It all made sense to her now. The bells rang yesterday, and today Cole said his father was home. The bells rang before and sure enough she noticed a few unfamiliar men in the village. She saw wives crying, children laughing. All because their beloveds have returned.

“I...I don’t know”, she replied sheepishly. Her own eyes brimming with tears.

“Let’s go, Lia. It’s getting colder out here and we’ve got to wake up early tomorrow. Afterall, it is Christmas tomorrow. How about we spend the day skating on the frozen lake?”

“Mmm. I’d like that”, her voice barely audible.

Hand in hand, the two siblings made their way into the comfort and warmth their humble hut provided. Both still emotional from the earlier events but glad they were able to share sentiments. Lia, although a hundred questions still plaguing her mind, decided not to push the topic any further.

Daylight seeped into the little hut during the early Christmas morning. Rev instantly started his day without delay. He would make Lia a special breakfast with what little they had. Admittedly, it was not a lot but it was enough. He lay a clay bowl down on the warm linen cloth by the door, they had no table but this cloth had served as somewhat of a picnic blanket for them. He took a woven basket and stuffed hay into it as he made his way outside towards the chicken coop. Hopefully the chickens had laid enough eggs for what the special breakfast he wanted to make for his little sister. As he gathered the eggs one by one, his face fell into a frown as he heard the bells echo throughout the village. 

“Urgh, stupid bells”, he muttured under his breath.

The morning was already cold enough and the bells didn’t make it any less awful. Rev huffed as he gathered four eggs and put them in his woven basket. As he ducked to avoid hitting his head on the coop, he heard snow crunching almost as if footsteps were coming. He turned his head towards the sound, expecting to see a stray dog or a random neighbor. But the sight he was met with made his breath hitch against his throat. He dropped his woven basket, the eggs breaking on cold hard ground, but he couldn’t care less. For the first time in a long time, he ran. He ran, as fast as his legs could take him, gasping for breath in the freezing temperature. He ran into the warm embrace of strong familiar arms.

“F-fa-father”, Rev whispered as he let his tears fall. 

He fell to the ground with cold tears stinging his cheeks, sobs echoing through the quiet morning. His father bent down to hold his son. He gripped his father’s arm, afraid he would be gone like the wind when he blinked.

“Father”, he repeated again as he sobbed for his father’s return.

“I-I-I waited for you.. The bells, father… The-th-they always rang but you never ca-came”, his voice hoarse as he cried in disbelief. He let all his worries, disappointments and doubts fade as he broke down in his father’s arms. All the sorrow of years of running to the village for nothing had disappeared. No amount of sadness could compare to the joy he felt this Christmas morn. His father had returned, safe and alive! What more could he ever ask for?

“Rev”, his father’s deep and soothing voice resounded in his ears. A voice he didn’t hear for 3 long years.  
“I’m sorry… I tried to..I tried to come home to you and Lia but the war… It wasn’t something I could run from.”  
“Rev”, he said again as he cradled the back of his son’s head. “Rev, I’m home now. I’m home now to you and Lia”, he said as tears streamed his eyes as well. 

“F-f-father”, a whisper came from behind them. “FATHER!!!”, Lia yelled as she ran to the man she knew to be her father. Her father who only felt like a distant memory to her now after 3 years of being gone. 

Lia ran into her father’s arms, sobbing herself just as her brother did. She let herself be enveloped in her father’s warm embrace. All three knelt there on the cold snowy ground, enjoying the first few moments together. Crying, sobbing, laughing as the bells rang and rang. 

“Thank you. This is the best Christmas present ever. The bells, they’re real. Father, you’re home”, Rev said in a whisper.

What a wonderful Christmas morn it was for Rev and Lia who were reunited with their beloved father.

**Author's Note:**

> This is honestly a milestone for me since this is the first story I've ever written! You can tell this is really my first time based on the structure, and how I still don't know how to express emotions into passages I'm writing. I genuinely did try and I'm happy with how it turned out! Arigato for reading everyone! 💚


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